


Red Forest

by CrestfallenCrest27



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: And its angst moments, Dead by Daylight au, Has its Fluff moments, M/M, Mentions of Death, Ohm is the hope they needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-03-15 03:59:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13605069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrestfallenCrest27/pseuds/CrestfallenCrest27
Summary: Luke's used to new survivors. It wasn't that long ago, after all, that he was a new survivor as well. The only difference was that he survived. So when a strange newbie appears with the name Ohm, he's quick to accept that this man won't live long.But then again, he shows promise. A strange calmness and a gentle smile that gives Luke an odd bit of faith in the man. Maybe he'll fit right in with the small group he's started. Maybe together, they could get out.But still, there's something about Ohm that doesn't seem quite right...





	1. Campfire

**Author's Note:**

> This is a dead by daylight au that was long overdue. Gonna be multi-chapter but I'm super excited about it so I'll keep writing on it, no worries!

Luke feels sweat pour down his face as he stumbles over towards the exit gates. His freezing fingers numbly grab onto the lever and with all of his remaining strength, he pulls, listening close to the large door that sits next to him power up. His breath can be seen appear in front of him as he lets heavy gasps leave his lips. His legs are shaking from the adrenaline of the chase, the fear of not making it out heavy on his shoulders. 

_25%... 30%..._

He hears footsteps and loud screaming coming from the treatment theatre behind him-- Léry's Memorial Institute. He knew Delirious and Gorilla were still in there, distracting The Doctor while he got the door open and he knew that they hadn't of gotten caught. The scream he heard was female after all. The poor survivor they had gotten stuck with. Luke had a brief interaction with her earlier, when she appeared from behind him to help him work on the generator. 

He could hardly remember her name. Maria? Megan? Regardless, by the sound of the scream, it didn't matter anymore.

_50%... 60%... The door begins letting off a deafening alarm._

He feels electricity tingle through his body, along with every warning sign in his mind screaming at him to abandon the door and hide behind one of the large crates that stood right outside the entrance to the Institute. The Doctor was close and he was likely heading straight for the door, knowing that they were trying to escape through it. He took a deep breath.

He had to commit. 

_85%... 90%... The alarm continues and the electricity intensifies._

"Cartoonz!" 

The familiar voice snaps Luke out of his trance and he whips his head around to glance over his shoulder. Gorilla sprinted towards him, body covered in blood, dirt and sweat. A wrapped up shoulder tells Luke that Gorilla had gotten banged up a bit by The Doctor earlier but thankfully, the man survived the encounter and managed to wrap himself up. 

"Gorilla-- Where's Delirious?!" Luke demanded, worry lacing his tone.

With a loud scraping noise, the door pushes open, revealing their freedom up ahead. Once they pass those gates, they were free. Safe enough to sleep through the night and most of the day, only to be thrown into yet another trial that next night.

But Luke wasn't going anywhere without Delirious.

"He got hit, but he found the hatch." Gorilla answered, quickly grabbing onto Luke's arm. Their heartbeats began to accelerate and immediately Luke moved with Gorilla to escape. "The girl died. Got hooked and died instantly. We gotta go so the hatch opens up!" 

Luke didn't even get a chance to argue. He looks back and sees The Doctor turn the corner, running at them with a wide grin on his face, eyes blank and electricity sparking on his grin. The Doctor shoots forward and clenches his fist, shooting off a bolt of electricity at them. As the jolts shoot through their body, they scream out in sheer pain and terror but Luke still has enough sense to grab Gorilla and yank him out of the gates.

As they run ahead, away from the snowy hell, he looks back and sees the Dreaded Entity block The Doctor from running after them. 

But he still kept running until the place was out of sight, pulling a hurt and exhausted Gorilla with him. He wouldn't be satisfied until they were by the safety of their campfire.

He could only have faith that Delirious would join them soon after.

* * *

 

Luke doesn't remember how it came to this but he's not sure if he should be proud or disturbed by how quickly he fell into the routine. He remembered waking up by this campfire with his little brother by his side and when they awakened, no amount of trying to remember could make them recall how they had gotten there. 

They almost didn't survive their first night. With no clue on what was going on, they were almost killed by The Trapper's hands. Luke had been hooked first, only to be saved and patched up by a guy named Jake or something. He couldn't remember but the guy had been nice enough to give him the basic run down before they were separated.

They were in some sort of nightmare realm, ran by some evil being that other survivors deemed The Entity. Every night, one would have to perform a 'trial' so to speak. Repair five generators, power the exit gates and escape all while avoiding a killer that had the intent to sacrifice you to The Entity. 

The only prize you got for survival was to live another day.

Jake didn't seem to interested in finding out what happened when you died. Luke didn't seem to keen on the idea as well.

They had gotten separated soon after and Luke never saw Jake again. When the gates were powered and Luke had met back up with Delirious, he tried not to think too hard on why the distant screams he heard sounded familiar. 

And thus started their game of survival, and somewhere along the way, they had picked up Gorilla and made one of the best survival groups, in their opinions. They had been through a total of seven trials and while things seemed hard, none of them had any intentions of giving up. As hopeless as it seemed, there surely had to be a light at the end of the tunnel, right?

That's something that Luke always had to tell himself as he sat curled up by the campfire, basking in the warm heat after each an every trial. He did so yesterday, he's doing so tonight and will likely be doing so tomorrow. 

_Well, at least we'll be somewhere warmer tomorrow..._ He can't help but think to himself as he and Gorilla both huddle next to each other for warmth as they stare into the darkness, waiting for Delirious to make an appearance. 

They both have medkits sitting by them, ready to use them on the no-doubt hurt Delirious but when it takes the man just a bit longer to get here than normal, Luke can't help but worry. Surely his little brother had gotten away through the hatch in time, right?

Right as the thought crosses his mind, a twig snapping is enough to catch both of their attentions and a single glance of blue is all Luke needs to see before he's jumping to his feet to grab onto the limping man. "Shit, Delirious, you're bleeding all over the damn place...!"

Delirious immediately falls against Luke, who quickly helps him sit down. Immediately, Gorilla gets to work pulling the hoodie off so he can properly treat the shoulder wound. Delirious shivers at the cold but doesn't complain, yet. "I'll live..." He answers, voice slurred with exhaustion. "He hooked me but Gorilla helped..."

"Mm-hm..." Gorilla looked up from his work with a smile. "Kinda hard since he was just staring into your eyes the whole time." 

Luke couldn't help but snort at that. "I don't blame him. They're damn beautiful."

"Bitch, I know." Delirious smirked weakly. He suddenly hisses as Gorilla moves his shoulder the wrong way and he immediately moves to bury his face into Luke's chest. "At least I wasn't hooked twice this time..." 

"I almost was!" Gorilla exclaimed with a huff. A moment later, a guilty expression washes over his face. "That girl got in the way though. She just showed up at the wrong place at the wrong time and The Doc figured she looked easier to grab..."

Luke and Delirious both frown at this and immediately, Luke reaches over to pet Gorilla's shoulder. "Hey, man, don't blame yourself. Not much you coulda done."

"Yeah, it happens..." Delirious mumbles, closing his eyes again. "I'd rather a stranger get killed than one of you two guys. We ain't a group if--if we're dead, right?"

Delirious hisses again but finally, Gorilla finishes patching the man up and pulls away with a pitying smile. "...Guess so."

"Definitely so." Luke agrees, trying to put more backbone into his words. "Look, we help who we can because-- because no one deserves that shit but remember, we have to look out for each other. We gotta get out of here, right?"

There's a moment of silence before the three, one that's lacking in hope and filled to the brim with exhaustion and Luke immediately squeezes the both of them in a poor attempt to comfort but after their trial that night, they were too exhausted to provide any sort of comfort to the other. But eventually, Delirious looks up and nods. "Yeah, we gots to keep it up. We've aced every trial so far, let's keep it up."

Gorilla lets out a soft sigh but nods regardless. "Alright then, if that's the case, let's get some sleep." He instructs, moving back to lay by the fire. "We can get some food in us when we wake up and get ready to face our next trial tomorrow. Guess we should be glad that wounds heal a lot faster in this hellscape because we need all the help we can get with hunting tomorrow, Delirious."

Delirious lets out an irritated groan, flipping Gorilla off halfheartedly as he curls into Luke's side. Luke snorted at that and moved to lay back, serving as a pillow for his wounded brother.

Not much is said between the three of them after that. The only noises heard are the crackling of the fire and the cries of the crickets. Luke sighs as he stared up at the sky above them. As he stares up at the moon, he began to wonder if it was even the real moon anymore.

* * *

 

Luke jumps awake at the sound of footsteps slowly approaching. They were too unsteady to be Delirious and too cautious and soft to be Gorilla's and while the noise didn't seem to scream 'Killer' at him, it was still unfamiliar enough to catch the man's attention.

Thankfully, Delirious wasn't curled up on him anymore, so he didn't end up throwing the man off of him as he jumps up into a sitting position to face whoever it was that was creeping up on their safe zone. 

What he finds is a stranger wearing nothing but mud covered clothing-- Rags almost-- with dirt covering his cheeks and dust covering his brown hair. Wide, brown eyes stare back at Luke and suddenly, the new arrival begins to back away in surprise as he holds up his hands. Luke immediately takes notice of the small hatchet attached to his hip, most likely used for hunting. 

"Who the fuck are you?" Luke glares, moving to stand up as the other quickly steps back again. 

"Sorry-- I didn't mean to scare you..." The stranger apologized, letting his hands fall to his side. "I just came across you guys and wanted... wanted to see if you guys had directions."

Luke quickly squinted at this. "Directions? Seriously?"

"Yeah!" The man's face lights up in a way that leaves Luke confused. How was there so much life and energy in this guy's face? "I'm afraid I got separated from my mother while we were hunting for food and I've been wandering for such a long time and-- well, I didn't think I would come across others and I was hoping you would be able to direct me to--"

Luke felt bad but he immediately had to cut this man off. "You really have no idea where you are right now? Are you new around here?"

The man blinks. "I... suppose so, yes." 

Luke sighed and gave the man a pitied look. He had seen new survivors before, but they normally already knew that they were fucked by the time Luke had met them. And unfortunately, they never lasted long. "What's your name?"

When the stranger doesn't answer and instead gives Luke a confused and doubtful glance, he sighs and steps forward. "You can call me Cartoonz. It's a nickname. What do you want me to call you?"

There's another bout of silence but eventually, the dirt-covered man answers. "..Ohm." 

Good, a name that goes with the face. "Okay, Ohm, sit your little ass over here so I can explain this shit to you."

Without another word, Ohm does as he's told and sits by the fire, bringing his knees up to his chest. Luke glances over at Delirious and Gorilla, wondering if he should wake them up for this, but a voice quickly tells him that he should let them get as much rest as they can get. 

They had a long night ahead of them after all.

* * *

 

Luke thought that explaining the situation to Ohm would cause the man to panic. After all, being told that you're in for a constant stream of torture is enough to make any sane person panic. 

Ohm was different though. Instead of fear, thoughtfulness washed over the man's face as he silently took in Luke's words. He didn't seem to have as many questions as normal survivors did and that left Luke intrigued. What was with this dirt covered man? He looked like he had been dodging and weaving from killers for months, if the dirt, mud and scratches on his knees was anything to go by.

The only thing that seemed like it didn't belong was the soft expression, so full of life and curiosity that rested on the man's face. It just... didn't seem to belong in a world like this.

Luke wasn't sure if it disturbed him because of how out of place it was or if it upset him because he just _knew_ what the poor soul was about to go through. "Are you okay, Ohm? Do you have any questions?"

Ohm is silent for a moment, leaning forward as he tried to think of any possible questions that came to mind. Instead, he just chooses to recap. "So... A killer is going to be after us? And we have to do generators to escape or we'll die?" His voice is calm but quiet. 

Maybe it just wasn't registering yet.

"Yeah. I've got a good group going here. We're all pretty good at it and we can probably show you the basics--" Luke is cut off with a soft smile.

"Oh, you don't have to worry yourself over me. I know how to work on the generators." The friendly smile on Ohm's face seems to wash away any sort of anxiety that Luke had moments before but it only returned in full force seconds later. 

The image of that smile no longer existing bothered Luke more than he would want to admit.

"Oh... You used to work with generators before all of this then?" Luke asked, assuming of course but if that was the case, he already felt better about Ohm's chances. 

Ohm falls silent, smile falling just a bit. "Yes-- well... No. People around me worked on them. I just watched. Mama always got mad if I tried to help. She's always been overprotective, I guess." He laughed a bit at that, a laugh that was far to contagious to Luke.

"Yeah, well, now you can tell Mama that working on generators was the one way ticket to survival." Luke smirked a bit. "When we get out of here, that is." 

Before Ohm can respond, a shift in movement catches their attention. Delirious lets out a groggy moan and turns over to face the pair, eyes opened just slightly as he stared over at Luke. It takes a moment, but when Delirious realizes that they have a new arrival, he forces himself to sit up and squint in Ohm's direction. 

"...th' fuck are you...?" His voice croaks and it earns a soft snort from Luke. 

"Good morning to you too, princess." Luke rolled his eyes before throwing an arm around Ohm's shoulder, who immediately seems surprised by the sudden contact. "This is Ohm, another survivor. A newbie."

Delirious stops at that, eyes widening at Luke's words. "...Shit." He sighs, running a hand over his eyes.

"Hey, calm down. I already told him what's up and he honestly took it better than I expected." Luke explained, earning a weirded out expression from Delirious while Ohm just picks at his nails. "Plus, he's _kinda_ experienced with generators so maybe he won't be so bad."

Delirious still didn't seem to sure about the new arrival, but he knew that they very well couldn't turn anyone away either. They accepted all of the help they could get after all. But he could barely get a word out of his mouth before Ohm is scooting forward, pointing a finger towards the wrapped up wound with a frown. 

"Do you mind if I take a look at that?" 

Delirious immediately looks at his shoulder before glancing back at Ohm. "...It's already been patched up. It hurts like a bitch but it won't be too bad tonight. Wounds heal a lot faster in this hellscape than in the real world." 

Luke hums in agreement to that but the last thing he expected was for Ohm to insist. "I know what to do to make it hurt less." He explained, his gentle smile still sitting on his face. "Can I?"

Luke and Delirious both pause and exchange glances for a moment before Delirious hesitantly scoots towards Ohm, carefully pulling off the bandages he had been given the night before. Ohm smiled and quickly pulled out a pouch from his belt and opened it, revealing herbs and other plants inside. 

"Now..." Ohm starts, pulling out some of the herbs. "Let's see what we can do to fix you up..." 

* * *

 

Ohm and Delirious warmed up to each other almost immediately and it seemed like every time Ohm opened his mouth, Luke found another reason to drag him into their little group. 

He had small but promising experience with generators, botany knowledge, hunting skills and while his eye sight didn't seem the greatest, he apparently knew how to blend in well with his surroundings and knew how to stay as quiet as possible. When asked why he knew of this, he simply replied that his mother and him lived in a forest and she taught him most of this stuff.

His mother seemed like a very old-fashioned woman.

Delirious wasn't the only person who warmed up to Ohm fast. Once Gorilla woke up and had been caught up to speed, he happily joined the conversation that Ohm and Delirious were clearly invested in and soon, the three of them were laughing and smiling with stories that Ohm shared about his many hunting mishaps.

Honestly, it was the happiest that Delirious and Gorilla looked in days. And Luke would be lying if he said he wasn't quite content at the moment as well. But it only made him worry over the other's well being.

Ohm was very clearly and quickly becoming a light for their little group. They've had newbie survivors in their group before, but they never survived. And none of them ever offered such a warmness with their presence either so while they were mourned, they never left a hole with their absence.

He could only hope that would be the case with Ohm.

They talk and rest well into the afternoon, gathering their belongings as they do so. Thankfully, Delirious seemed more able to move on his own thanks to Ohm's help and seemed even energetic which put Luke's mind at ease. As he made sure his medkit was still in stock, he handed it to Gorilla before turning to Ohm, who's left staring at the dimming campfire that they sat around.

They didn't have much time left.

"Once that campfire goes out, the next trial begins." Luke explained, quickly grabbing Ohm's attention. The man looks up with curious eyes as he tilts his head in question.

"Does it? So... what do we do? Do we just go and find the place we need to go? Can't we just... stay here then?"

Luke _wished_ they could. "Doesn't work like that. Might be the doing of the Entity but like... Everything fades out with the campfire. It's like you fall asleep and then you suddenly wake up somewhere new. And then you get to work on the generators." Luke immediately moved to crouch by Ohm, placing a careful hand on the man's shoulder. 

He was shaking.

"You'll likely be by yourself. But take it slow. Blend in. If your heart races more than usual, then hide." Luke instructs softly, attempting to give comfort in his instructions. "If you're scared, try and find one of us. I know I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for you."

That alone somehow manages to bring a smile back to Ohm's face. "Will you, now? Well, that's comforting..." He chuckles, almost shyly. 

Luke grinned a bit at that, reaching up to ruffle Ohm's hair, who responds by quickly pushing his hands away. They both share a small glance, chuckling to themselves but soon, Cartoonz's smile falls. 

"...Something else... If you get caught, he's going to try and hook you." He warns, knowing it was morbid advice to start with but he's seen too many people die because of it. "If you're hooked, then for the love of God... _Don't try and escape._ Unless you're absolutely sure you can pull yourself off of the hook, _don't_ try it. It'll only weaken you and make it easier for that fucking entity to kill you. Don't fight it. We'll save you, we promise."

Ohm says nothing, face falling blank again. 

"I know it'll hurt... but can you promise me that?" Luke tries again, frowning at the other. 

Ohm turns his gaze back to the campfire, taking a deep breath as the flames begin to flicker and fade. "...Yeah, I promise."

Luke smiled at that, seeming relieved before nudging a toolbox into Ohm's arms. "Good. Take this with you. Should help with the generators. I found it during our last trial."

Ohm stared down at the toolbox, seeming surprised at the gift he received. He carefully takes it, holding it closer as he stared at Luke. "Won't you need this?" He asked only to earn a soft laugh from Luke.

"Eh, I'll be fine. I might find a new one anyway." Luke smiled and leaned back a bit. "They're worn out so they have limited use but they should help you a bit."

Ohm smiles, seeming overly happy about something. "Thank you very much, Luke..." 

They both suddenly look over at the campfire that goes out with a final twig snap. The cold forest they had been resting in suddenly washes over with darkness and immediately, Delirious climbs to his feet. 

"Time for the next trial." 

Gorilla followed his example and climbed to his feet, and Luke does the same, helping Ohm to his feet. "Alright, be careful guys." He warns before glancing over to Ohm. "Remember, blend in and be safe. Good luck."

The surrounding area gets darker and Luke finds it hard to see Ohm's face but he can barely make out just a bit of a smile on his face. "I will... You all be safe too." Luke felt a squeeze on his hand before Ohm lets go completely.

Darkness overtakes everything and suddenly everything is dead silent. Luke takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment, listening close for any sound queues. Finally, he hears a loud groaning noise followed by the rustling leaves from the trees. It's not as cold anymore and if anything, it just smells like oil and gas.

He opens his eyes and finds himself standing in the middle of a warehouse, with large machines standing in the middle. Everything is lit up by a pale moonlight and looking around, he notices that Delirious, Gorilla and Ohm are nowhere to be seen. 

He was no longer near Léry's Memorial Institute. He was now at the MacMillan Estate, sitting in the warehouse next to the Coal Tower.

As he looked ahead, he saw a generator sitting by the large piece of machinery that he, to this day, has no idea what it does. With a deep breath, he crept closer to the generator and crouched by it.

It was time to get to work.


	2. The Trapper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS IN FOREVER! I forced myself to finish this chapter because I just have to force myself to write in general lately :C But hopefully this chapter is still good even if I wanted to end it differently. - Crest

Delirious screamed out in pain as the meat cleaver slice into his side. Pain shot through his body only with the large feeling of frustration that he was the only one being beaten up on lately as he dashed away. His hand quickly moved to cover the wound as he dived around the corner and through a window, into an old wooden shack. 

The Trapper is close behind him, wiping his blood off of the cleaver with his large forearm and he quickly makes his way around the house before Delirious can gather his surroundings. As The Trapper makes his way into the building with Delirious, a pallet is suddenly dropped down, knocking the giant back. 

Delirious lets out a short and relieved sigh when he spots the source. "Ohm!"

"Go, go!" Ohm urged, quickly making a run for Delirious and the man didn't have to be told twice. With his hand gripping the wound tightly, he quickly made his way out of the shack before the killer could recover. 

Somewhere behind him, Ohm insists for the man to keep running. One glance behind him, he sees Ohm hurrying away in the opposite direction, throwing down another pallet in an effort to get The Trappers attention. With a deep breath, Delirious ducks down behind a tree, peeking around it in a panic as he watches The Trapper take Ohm's bait. 

As The Trapper runs around the pile of junk that Ohm hid behind, Ohm dives over the fallen pallet and sprints back towards the shack in an effort to lose the monster behind him, but The Trapper quickly breaks through the pallet and very quickly makes his way towards Ohm. 

Delirious knows that Ohm likely couldn't hold the killer off for very long and quickly began to hurry away, hoping to find Gorilla or Luke soon. "God, it hurts... It hurts..." He whines to himself softly as he looks back over his shoulder. 

Yeah, he definitely needed to find someone. For his sake and for Ohm's as well.

 

* * *

 

As Luke works on the generator, he can hear one pop in the distance and he can't help the smile that appears on his face. He felt a bit comforted in hearing that noise, taking it as a sign that at least one of his friends was alive and well enough to finish a generator. He briefly wondered who it was, though, mind drifting back to Ohm.

Did he use his toolbox to finish it? Did he know to run away as fast as possible afterwards? 

What about Delirious? Was he okay, despite the wound he had suffered the night before? Was he in need of any help? Or what about Gorilla? The poor guy always had horrible luck with running into the killer and it was something that Luke did not envy in the slightest.  
Made him worry immensely though.

The generator was running full speed now, but not quite complete yet. His heart beat picked up, and he quickly stopped, trying to figure out if it was because something was close or if it was because of his own anxiety. When he didn't hear anything else, he calmed himself as much as he could. 

God, he really hated being alone...

When he hears a pained whimper nearby, he stops immediately and quickly snapped his head around and surveyed the area. "..Who's there?" He whispered harshly, jumping back off of his generator. 

"Shh--shut the fuck up, Cartoonz--" The whimper snapped back before a familiar figure crawls through the window and into the large warehouse. Delirious stares up at the other with pained, blue eyes and blood staining his hand and clothes red and immediately, Cartoonz races over and begins tearing off a bit of his own shirt to make a make-shift bandage. 

Cartoonz immediately bites his lip and moves to wrap the bandaging around Delirious' stomach. "Holy shit, you got fucked up!" He exclaimed, earning a small glare from Delirious.

"Yeah, no shit..." He grumbled, quickly sparing a worried glance behind him. "Hurry up and patch me up. We can finish the genny and then we have to go and save Ohm."

Luke suddenly hesitates.

"What happened to Ohm...?"

Delirious lets his eyes dart up towards the other, taking notice of his immediate concern but choosing not to mention it. "He helped me out by distracting The Trapper..." Delirious explained with a tired sigh. "He was doing okay but I dunno how long he can run for. If we're lucky, he lost him. If we're unlucky, he lost him and the killer is on his way here."

Luke glared a bit. "Or he got caught and is on his way to be hooked." Luke explained, tying the bandaging into a knot. 

"Don't give me that look, Toonz. I'm just thinking realistically here. We don't wanna lose this genny progress." Delirious huffed, immediately moving to finish up the generator Luke was working on prior to this. "I already lost my progress. I heard a generator pop on my way here, so it sounds like Gorilla's doing work at least. It's a good thing that the trapper is occupied with Ohm..."

"I don't like it." Luke admits, moving to help. "Especially with how new he is..."

"I dunno, he ran like a pro when I saw him." Delirious commented, looking back over his shoulder. "Look, we'll grab him after this thing, okay?"

"...We better." Cartoonz mumbled, never liking the idea of using another survivor as bait.

They would all be dead if they didn't get the generator finished, however.  
  


* * *

  
He had run The Trapper to the very ends of the estate grounds, dodging slashes and weaving his way out of the monster's eyesight, but every time Ohm thought he lost him, he would turn the corner and see the killer trudge for him, eyes hidden by the soulless expression of the mask. 

He had ended up making his way back into the shack, somehow managing to lose the Trapper for the third time. He takes a moment, heavy breathes filling the air and with an exhausted groan, he leans back against the wooden wall and slides to the floor to rest. 

He stared down at the toolbox he held tightly in his hands and quickly hugged it tightly to his chest, already feeling comforted by the fact that he had saved one of Cartoonz's friends. Now, all he had to do was wait for the coast to become clear and then leave to find them again. Maybe he would find Cartoonz! Hopefully he was okay...

As he stared down at the tool box, he smiled at the warm and fuzzy feeling it left in his chest. The man was really kind and almost soft as he tried to make sure Ohm would be okay during this trial. Not to mention, he was pretty handsome too.

Oh, what?

He giggled to himself and covered his face in disbelief. Did that thought really just cross his mind? Was he really thinking about that right now? "Oh, come on, Ohmie... You just met him. Mama would smack me on the head twice for that." He whispered softly, running soft fingers over the tool box. 

Still, the thought alone was enough motivation to get himself moving again. Gripping onto his toolbox again, he moved to stand up and leave the shack... only for a familiar breathing to be heard. Chills ran up his spine and his heart beat sped up and before he could react, the giant monster from before trudged into the shack, hand gripping onto a bloodied, rusted meat cleaver as he stared into Ohm's eyes.

Ohm let out a short scream and immediately backed into a corner, against his better judgement. Dammit, why couldn't he have gone out the window?! Or something?!

Something in his mind told him that the Trapper would only grab him and pull him back.

He pressed himself deeper into the corner as the Trapper closed in, raising his meat cleaver slowly, readying himself to swing it down on his prey. Ohm stared back up at him, with watering eyes as a thought hit him hard. 

He wished his mother were here.

At the thought of his mother, Ohm squeezed his eyes shut and did the only thing that could possibly save him.

 

* * *

 

Gorilla had finished his second generator by the time he heard another go off in the distance. His tool box had long been used up and discarded but thankfully, it was put to good use. So far, he hadn't heard any screams either, so that was a wonderful sign. He was intending on finding Luke and Delirious now, and maybe even the new guy. He hated being alone but on the plus side, he hadn't heard a single thing or seen a single thing from whatever killer they were dealing with now.

Until the sound of humming filled the air. 

The familiar lullaby that surrounded the area sent a chill down Gorilla's spine. Not wanting to deal with the source of the humming, he quickly moved to retreat from the area, hoping not to run into what he was beginning to fear was around the corner. As he hurried away, the humming faded in the distance, much to his relief.

They had three generators done, and they only needed two more. With faith and relief bubbling up in his chest, he broke out into a sprint, eager to find his friends.

 

* * *

 

Luke was a nervous wreck.

It was weird. Sure, he's been nervous for new survivors before, but never like this. Maybe it was because Ohm showed so much promise? He had healing knowledge, generator knowledge and he seemed so innocent and just the type of person who _didn't_ belong in a place like this.

It was something he took notice of within the first few days of being in this hell. Most of the survivors they have come across had done less than favorable deeds back in the real world, or had come from less than favorable circumstances. Sometimes they were small things, like maybe a man liked to be an asshole for no reason, and other times it would range from fights to defacing property.

He and Delirious had stories of their own, and no doubt Gorilla did too. So what was Ohm's story? Why was he here?

"Cartoonz." Delirious calls out to him suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You're distracted, what's wrong?"

Cartoonz sighs and shakes his head free from thoughts of Ohm's well being and background. He definitely needed to get his head back in the game. "Nothing... Just tired and I'm worried about the others." Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

"I haven't seen Gorilla at all but I also haven't heard any screams so that's a good sign." Delirious pointed out, only to frown towards Cartoonz. "Right?" 

"Of course it's a good sign..." Cartoonz answered, trying to at least be confident. 

They wanted to go and find Ohm, but they had found a generator that had already been worked on some and they knew they would be fools if they had just left it alone. Plus, maybe it would give Gorilla and Ohm an idea of where they were, or it would drag the Trapper away from their friends if they were being pursued. 

Of course, getting lost in thought while trying to repair a generator normally ended with it blowing up in your face so Cartoonz was thankful when Delirious pulled him out of his thoughts. 

96%. 97%. 98%. 99%. 100%.

The generator pops, earning a laugh from Delirious as he quickly moves over to Cartoonz. "Okay, just one more."

"Yeah, and I saw it right over here. Near it's shack." Cartoonz gestured, carefully creeping away with Delirious following right after. 

It's just a short walk, filled with silence as towers and buildings creak around them, wind rustling through the trees. One could hear strange moans and distant wails that Cartoonz learned to ignore on their first days here. He wasn't sure the source behind the noises and he wasn't sure he wanted to learn what it was. 

Another noise that grabbed his attention was the clinks and whirrs of a machine. A generator and from the sounds of it, it was nearly up and running. Cartoonz and Delirious both spared a glance to each other, faces filled with hope as they hurried over, hoping to find a familiar face. 

They bothed sighed in relief at who they saw.

"Gorilla, thank God--"

Gorilla's head snapped up immediately, eyes wide in surprise but then he quickly jumped to his feet and threw arms around both of the men. "Dude, I was fucking scared that she got you!"

Cartoonz quickly hugged the two men as well, earning a dramatic wheeze from Delirious, who began to flail and try to escape the group hug. "Get the hell off'A ME!" He stammered, earning a laugh from the other two as they all reluctantly let go. 

"Sorry, Delirious is just a bit bitchy right now after getting sliced up like a Christmas ham AGAIN." Cartoonz snickered, earning the finger from the blue jacketed man.

"Man, fuck you! I've probably got all sorts of diseases from that jackasses blade and all you can do is make jokes!" Delirious huffed, crossing his arms. "At least I didn't step into one of his traps like SOMEONE!"

Gorilla's face suddenly falls as Cartoonz rushes to his own defense. "Hey! Bitch, it was dark and foggy. How the fuck am I supposed to see a trap when it's like that?"

"Stay out of the grass? Duh." Delirious shrugged earning a scoff from Cartoonz.

"Uh, hiding in the grass is a smart idea since these killers are blind as fuck--"

Gorilla let out a loud cough to interrupt their bickering. Cartoonz and Delirious both look over and frowned, raising an eyebrow to show that the man has their attention before he speaks. "You... guys don't have to worry about traps. Because it's not the Trapper we're going against right now. It's the Huntress."

Delirious immediately lets his eyebrows furrow. "Uh, no it's not. It's definitely the Trapper. I would know, he beat the shit outta me."

"Why would you think it's the Huntress?" Cartoonz asked, pursing his lips in worry.

"I heard her humming..." Gorilla frowned, wrapping arms around himself. "At least... I thought so. I could be losing it but--"

Delirious frowns at that, knowing FOR SURE that he and Ohm saw that it was the trapper. But why would Gorilla be hearing the Huntress's humming? It gave him the chills but before he could question it much longer, his heartbeat suddenly began to pick up. If Cartoonz and Gorilla hadn't of frozen up like they did, he would have shrugged it off and called it anxiety. 

Instead, all three of them jumped onto the generator. 

"This is the last one." Cartoonz reminds, quickly getting to work on repairing it.

"I know!" Delirious remarks back, keeping an eye on his surroundings. "Get ready to pop it and run for your damn lives."

Gorilla pauses and looks off to the distance, spotting their escape gate across the field from them. "You guys finish the generator. I'll get the gate open and we'll bail as soon as everything's done."

Cartoonz bit his lip, holding back a remark about having to find Ohm. No, they didn't have to do anything. Their group was him, Delirious and Gorilla. They always lost the fourth survivor. It always happened and if they tried to save them, they always paid for it in some way. He had to forget about Ohm for now and focus on the generator.

It was for the best... right?

The heartbeats faded away, much to Delirious' and Cartoonz's surprise. They both paused and looked at each other with a frown as their generator suddenly popped. A siren screamed throughout the estate, signalling the power was back on and the gates were ready to be open... and Ohm was still nowhere to be seen.

Gorilla pulled the lever and gestured for Delirious and Cartoonz to come over and get ready to escape and Delirious quickly ran over with no second thoughts, but Cartoonz can't help but hesitate.

He shouldn't care about Ohm. _But I'm worried._

He's new, he's going to die eventually. _But he doesn't have to._

It's not Cartoonz's problem. _But I promised._

The gate opens and Gorilla and Delirious immediately run for the exit while Cartoonz slowly trudges after them, uncertainty in his movement. Almost immediately, Delirious runs over and grabs his hand. "Cartoonz, c'mon, we gotta go!"

Cartoonz bites his lip and lets himself be tugged as Delirious tries to pull him to the exit but then he's yanking his hand free. "Okay, no, fuck this!" He suddenly cries, looking to Delirious. "We told ourselves we were gonna help Ohm out after this generator. After that generator. After all the fuckin' generators and now we're leaving him! Fuck that!"

"Cartoonz, we haven't heard any screams or anything! I'm sure he's fine and that he's already escaped! C'mon, we gotta go!" Delirious demands, tugging on his hand again before Cartoonz yanks it back.

"We didn't fucking tell him about the gates or the hatch! The guy doesn't have a clue." Cartoonz glared, suddenly shoving Delirious towards Gorilla. "YOU guys go ahead, I'm gonna go grab him and catch up."

"Cartoonz, don't you fuckin' _dare--_ "

Gorilla suddenly speaks up, worry in his tone. "Toonz, it's the trapper, right? You guys said it's the trapper! Doesn't he get like... stronger when the gates are open?! What if he catches you? We can't save you if that's the case!"

Delirious stomps his foot, much like a child having a temper tantrum before he moves away from the exit. "We're ALL going! Cartoonz isn't going by himself!"

"And you're not going with me." Cartoonz squints, pushing him back to Gorilla. "If you're not gonna leave, then wait here just in fucking case. If you hear a scream, come and get us."

"FUCK THAT--"

Cartoonz looks over to Gorilla and raises his eyebrow, and Gorilla, who gets the message immediately, sighs and pulls Delirious over. "We're giving your ass ten minutes. We're coming to get your skinny ass as soon as ten minutes passes."

Cartoonz sighs but nods. "Fair enough. Delirious. Stay."

"I'm kicking your ass as soon as we leave here." Delirious grumbles, crossing his arms.

Cartoonz grins. "Good boy."  
  


* * *

 

Ohm curls up in the corner, red staining his pants as he stares up at soulless mask that stares down at him. He lets out an unsteady breath, biting at his lip nervously as he tightly clings to his toolbox. There's nothing but silence as they stare at each other, nothing but the Entity's distant and far way screams filling the ear.

"...The... the power is on." Ohm states the obvious as The Trapper makes no move to grab or strike him. "They're going to escape... The Entity won't be happy with you."

The Trapper's hand grips tightly at the handle of his meat cleaver, hand shaking in anger. Or was it something more? Ohm couldn't tell at the moment.

"You didn't have to let them escape..." Ohm mumbles, his pleading eyes turning to an expression more thankfuly. "But.. you did. I... Thank you so much. None of the others would have the same sort of kindness that you're showing. Not many of them, anyway."

He's greeted with nothing but silence and at that, Ohm pushes himself to his feet. "...May I leave too? I.. I wanna go home."

He doesn't receive an answer but that doesn't deter Ohm. He steps forward and frowns. "Please let me go..." He begs again.

Once again, silence is the answer as The Trapper clenches and unclenches his hand around his weapon, as if deciding what to do with Ohm. To kill or not. To spare or maim. It was a hard struggle with himself, as Ohm can see, but then, The Trapper steps to the side staring at the bloody basement floor instead of at Ohm.

Ohm's face lights up and immediately, he dashes for the stairs. "Thank you... Thank you so much!" He calls back and quickly escapes, his heart beat slowing down as he does so.  
  


* * *

 

When Cartoonz spots Ohm, his heart nearly stops when he notices the man's clothes covered in blood and at first, he figures the man is wounded. He sprints over, already ready to rip more of his clothing to patch the man up but he slows to a stop when he doesn't see a single injury on the man... and then he bursts into a fit of relieved laughter.

"God Damn, Ohm..." He breathes out, quickly snatching the other's attention. "I was half expecting to find your corpse instead of you being alive and okay!"

Ohm whips around with a wide grin and just as quickly dives into the man's arms, hugging him tightly. "Toonzy~! You're okay!" He cheers, squeezing the man tightly.

"Whoa--" Cartoonz smiles warmly, softly hugging the other back. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not the one to be worried about. I hear you've been running all over the damn place." He pulls away and grabs Ohm by the wrist. "On that note, we'll catch up at camp, okay? Delirious and Gorilla are waiting for us. We _have_ to go now, okay? Before The Trapper finds us."

Ohm's face softens a bit but nods. "Don't worry..." He mumbles before letting Cartoonz drag him away. "We'll be fine."

"Yeah. So it seems." Cartoonz can't help but grin over his shoulder. "You can tell me all about your epic chase at camp."

"Yeah. Okay, deal." 


End file.
